How To Do Wednesday: How to Cook

-
image from sheknows.com
Let me just start off by saying that this is not a recipe post! This post is more of a "tips and tricks" for readers who have no idea what you are doing in the kitchen or maybe someone who is just learning how to cook. If I leave something out that you feel is important about cooking basics, please be sure to leave it in the comments below!

Using the Right Equipment
The key to making good food is using the right equipment to prepare it. In other words, invest in quality pots, pans, and baking sheets! When using a higher quality pan, your food is more likely too cook faster and thoroughly without burning. I would suggest that you avoid Teflon surface products and invest in a nice stainless steel set. If you are currently using Teflon surface pans, please read this consumer report about the dangers that you could be exposing yourself or family to in cooking with this product.

Understanding the Basics
Do you know the difference between boiling and poaching? Roasting and broasting?Or even chopping versus dicing? If not, learn them. Basic recipes will use this language and you need to know what they are taking about. Do not be afraid to Google terms in cooking to get a better explanation. Half the battle of cooking a recipe is going to be following the instructions properly. The other half is having all of the ingredients.

Using Recipes
Instead of relying on someone to teach you how to cook, teach yourself with the help of the millions upon millions of recipes that you can find on the internet.One of my favorite sites to visit for recipes is All Recipes.Com. This site offers videos, reviews, and ratings on all submitted recipes. I tend to choose the recipes with the highest rating that is also most rated. Be sure to read the comments on recipes that you choose to get opinions from users that have already made the dish. Users will typically provide insight to what experience they had in making the dish, as well as minor changes to the recipe that they may have made.

Sugars, Spices, and More
Try to keep items to make homemade food on hand. Keep flour, sugar, seasonings, spices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, noodles, gravy, bouillon cubes, etc in your house so when necessary, you can whip something up. I know that it may be hard but add them to your grocery list as soon as you run out. You would be surprised what you can make with little ingredients.  

Handy Cooking Temperature Tips

Proper Meat Cooking Temperatures With Times

image from blogs.basspro.com


Proper Noodle Cooking Time

image from pastalensi.com




Proper Vegetable Cooking Time with Seasoning Ideas

image from peanutbutterandpeppers.com

**I hope that these cooking tips for beginners helped you if you are a chef in the making! Please be sure to leave your comments below, like, and share on your social media! Thanks for reading!**



Comments

  1. Patty JNovember 12, 2014 at 9:47 AM

    I hope a lot of young women read your blog because they will learn so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JessicaNovember 12, 2014 at 1:21 PM

      Thank you, Patty! Please share with any young people that you might know ;)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Makeup Monday: DIY- Makeup Storage Jars

-
Image
What you will need: Candle Jars (Square or Round) Candle Stick Holders Ribbon (optional) All materials for this project can be found at Dollar Tree in the candle isle. They are regularly found items so this project can easily be duplicated. Directions: 1. Remove all price stickers. These are glass and we are gluing them so you are going to want a clean surface.  2. Put hot glue around the rim of the candlestick holder.It will begin to dry pretty quickly so work fast, don't worry if the glue starts to drip. 3. Place square jar on the top of the candlestick holder while the glue is still hot. It will bond pretty quickly so make sure its straight! You also don't want it to look messy. Finished Product Lip Gloss Holder   4. Repeat. For a more unique look, try putting the candle jar on a slant when gluing. This will only work with the round type jars. You will get something that looks like this: 5. Add ...
Read more

Trial Tuesday: Removing Printed Labels From Plastic

-
Image
So if you have been following my blog. you know that I have really been getting more organized in 2015. One way that I continue to add new items to my home is to recycle the products that I use. Recently, I came across this Pin that I wanted to try out for baking ingredient storage: find this tutorial on www.hometalk.com Now while this idea is very clever I wasn't sure if I would use paint to redo the cans that I have. This got me thinking about another Pin that I saw on Pinterest about removing printed labels with nail polish remover. Found on www.2busybrunettes.com After I saw this Pin, I checked it out on YouTube and with thin plastic, it does work. With this in mind I wondered if I could remove the label from the Folgers Container. Which brings us to this weeks trial. TRIAL What You Will Need: Before: Directions: Fold a piece of paper towel and soak it in nail polish remover.  Place nail polish soaked paper towel on the label for 5 minutes....
Read more

Trial Tuesday: Removing Scratches From Wood

-
Image
If you haven't figured it out by now, furniture is not made like it used to be. For this reason, when looking for wooden pieces I usually opt for the old, heavy wooden pieces over the plywood of today. So, when I look for furniture, it's typically at a thrift store or rummage sale. I take such pride in finding pieces and repurposing them. You can take something old and make it like new with a little effort. While repainting furniture can be fun, it is even better when you find a piece that just needs a good cleaning. So when I came across the Pin below, I was very curious to see if this technique worked. TRIAL What You Will Need 1/2 Cup Olive Oil 1/2 Cup Vinegar Wash Cloth Before Directions Mix vinegar and oil. Use a wash cloth to apply the mixture to your scratch. Repeat steps if necessary. After Results: FAIL Note that literally nothing happens. Now, while this scratch is pretty deep, isn't that the point? I did try thi...
Read more